Robert hoadley



@atten gietenY atrnt @fitta ROBERT HOADLEY, OF ANSONIA, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO N. O. STILES, S. S. WILCOX, E. N. CROGKER, F.4 O. TUGKER, AND W. IETUOKER, Oli WEST MERIDEN,QONN.

Lam Param No. 63,891, mi Amz 1c, 18er.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPINNING-TOPS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Belit known that I, ROBERT HOADLEY, or" Artsonia, in the county ot NewIIaven, in the State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spinning-Tops; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact 'description thereof'.

My invention relates to tops which are formed of sheet metal or other very thin and .strong material, and consists in introducingdiallast or weight in excess of the ordinary weight ofl `the material, distributed around the periphery of the top on the inside at or near the place where the diameter of the top is the greatest.

r.'Lhe great advantages accruing from the use of' sheet metal asthe material for tops are very widely known and universally appreciated. The material can be spun into elegant forms with but slightlabor, and the expense oi' the material, and of the entire top produced thereof, is but slight, while the beauty and durability of the toy are very great; and the whistling` effect due to the action oi the air through the holes provided for the purpose in the thin material is finer than that in cheaply constructed wooden toys of this character.

The effect that the material ot` sheet-metal tops attains at the surface, instead of filling the whole mass, or extending inward to any considerable extent, is generally in its favor, but the total weight ofthe material near the periphery is not vsuiiicient without my invention to maintain the motion of the top for a great length of time. I experimented to overcome this diliicultyband ultimately arrived at a degree Yoi' perfection by introducing a load for-"the purpose, which I designate as ballast, which causes the top to spin for a period longer by more than one hundred per cent. than before. I prefer to introduce the ballast in the form oi' a very nearly complete ring of stout wire, and to secure it in the top at thepoint where the diameter is greatest, partly by its o wn elasticity tending to enlarge its diameter, and partly by soldering.

I will proceed to describe what I consider the best means of carrying out my invention, and will afterwards designate the point which I believe to'bo new. The accompanying drawings form` a part of this specification. V

Figure 1 is a central vertical section, and

l Figure 2 is a horizontal section, on the line S S, in iig. l, showing the best form.

Figures 3 and 4 are corresponding sections of another form.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figur-cs.

A is theV upper half and B the lower haltl of a sheet-metaltop. C is a central stem, which maybe provided with any approved means for receiving the rotary motion. D'is a wire of tinne'd iron, which is bent around into nearly a complete circle of a little larger diameter than the largest diameter of the interior of the top. It is eut off in such lengths as will allow it to be sprung together and to be introduced' into the top. It is introduced in that condition and allowed to extend, by its elasticity, into intimate contact with the interior surface. It is then soldered at one or more points. The two parts A and B are then applied together and united by Sellier or other aproved means, and the ballast of the top is then completed. The stem C may be dispensed with by adopting some of the approved plans for imparting motion. Myrinvention dees not depend on the stem, but may be used with any style of sheet-metal top.

Figs. 3 and 4 show another mode of ballast. In this afquantity ot' surplus metal 1s left on the edges of one or both the parts A and B, and this metal'is folded over by spinning or otherwise, so as to accumulate 'considerable weight, which isextra or additional to that of the metal required vto form the top. The effect of this construction is the same to the extent that -the weight is added thereby to the top at thcright point. I prefer the mode of ballast shown in theiigures.` l

The effect of my invention isto increase the inertia and momentum of the top. It increases the resistance which the top offers to the spring or other device which sets thc toy in metion, and it to that extentie an evil,"'thougl1 it is an evil so slight as to be of no importance. It also increases the momentum or the power of the toy to continue its motion for a long period, and in that respect it is an-advantage'of very great importance in practice. By being uniformly distributed at the zone of greatest diameter, it addsto the eflieiency of lthe top in the highest degree which it is possible to attain with an equal amount of weight and without causing the top to wabblc or run unsteadily.' My top, properly constructed as above described, is the most eihcient, attractive, and durable toy of the lkind which is known to nie.

4Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

I claim boliasting the thin top A B, by the addition of the extra weight D, or its equivalent, distributed around the periphery :L't or near the zone of greatest diameter, substmtiztlly as and for the purpose herein specified.

ROBT. HOADLEY. Witnesses:

SYLvEsTER BARBoUn, JOHN LINDLEY. 

